Over 100 million horses, donkeys, and mules work in agriculture and transport in low- and middle-income countries, often under conditions that cause chronic pain and shortened lives.
Working equid welfare is inseparable from the welfare of the people who depend on them. Communities whose working animals are healthy and pain-free have more productive agricultural capacity and higher income stability. SPANA and similar organizations frame welfare interventions as livelihood improvements — a framing that achieves adoption where pure animal welfare arguments face cultural resistance.